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Making a difference in a changing world

Giving back to society

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I slept and dreamt that life was joy; I awoke and saw that life was service; I acted and behold, service was joy.Rabindranath Tagore

When we talk about “corporate responsibility” at EY, we’re describing both a mindset that injects socially responsible thinking into every aspect of our business and a strategy for using our professional skills to create positive change in communities close to home and around the world. And our people make it happen – through their work with clients, their commitment to EY values, and their volunteering efforts for community development. Here’s an overview of some of our people initiatives:

Blood donation camps, an important part of our social responsibility calendar are also open to employees of other organizations sharing the same office premises. In 2013, 960 people across our offices donated blood.

The program allows recipients of our scholarship scheme to benefit from the advice of our employees who mentor the scholarship awardees. During these interactive weekend sessions, guidance is offered to the students on career planning, soft skills and lots more.

When our people raise funds for their preferred causes through leveraging our 'My NGO' and 'Recommend a student for scholarship' initiatives, we help them do more by matching their contributions. Both programs aim to support our people in their personal engagement with community initiatives.

My NGO

The program empowers each one of us to generate funds, resources and campaign for an NGO or cause of our choice within the EY community. If there are more than 10 donors who contribute towards a particular cause, the firm escalates its share of the contributions to 1.5 times the amount of funds raised.

A group of volunteers from our Chennai office has adopted Udhavum Ullangal, a shelter that provides food and other basic facilities to 63 people. Our team fondly refers to it as the 'Home,' which is also the favorite weekend destination for most of them.

Sponsor a student

Through this program, one can help children go to school. You can support the education of any child you know and as many children you wish to educate. The EY Foundation (EYF) has a benchmark of Rs. 9,000/- per annum for schooling. There is a higher benchmark for professional courses like Engineering etc.

The 'Give As You Earn' is a very simple and easy way of supporting a host of charities and causes. All that an employee needs to do is issue instructions on the amount to be donated and the preferred cause, be it animal welfare, care for the elderly, disability, environment, special needs, healthcare or livelihood promotion. The contributions are subsequently disbursed to a credible NGO on behalf of the donor.

Combining the passion for sports with the zeal to support a social cause, our people participate in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Mumbai marathons to raise pledges for various causes. We have received the highest pledge raising corporate award at the Delhi Half Marathon 2008, 2009 and 2010.

NGO melas in our offices during festivals such as Holi, Raksha Bandhan, Diwali, Christmas and New Year are an opportunity for NGOs to showcase and sell handicraft and other products created by the needy people they support through their initiatives. The annual Diwali gift for our people since 2009 is being sourced from Himjoli – an NGO that works with producer groups in Uttarakhand to reduce migration to cities by creating sustainable jobs in villages in the area.

These are simple ways in which we combine a very practical need with supporting a good cause. While our people can easily purchase things they need to buy during festivals, for the NGO it’s a way to supplement their fund-raising efforts.

“We all give gifts to friends and family. During the blood donation camp, we gave the most precious gift – the 'gift of life' - to a stranger in need and that's what makes it so very special.”Manish Agarwal.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.